Fred Ottman Talks Playing Shockmaster & The Disaster

Fred Ottman, known as Tugboat, Typhoon and the man behind The Shockmaster mask joined IYH Wrestling Radio.

What was his version of the story of the infamous night The Shockmaster debuted in WCW?

“That (the glittered helmet) was just to keep my identity, keep me under wraps…The wall was increased in height…Mike Graham’s the one who gave me the cue to go. I had the mask on, holes drilled in it, but then the glitter was coming through. So they took the secretary, cut off her panty hose, cut patches and glued them over the eye holes…That was to keep the glitter out of my eyes. Mike told me I had to bust the wood, bust the 5/8-inch sheetrock that made up the set; I had to hit it hard…Well, I busted it all the way to my knees, and just like a teeter-totter, I hit it so hard it blew me over the top of the bottom. Then the little helmet popped off, I turned away from the camera, and attempted to pop it back on my face, jump up, and do the promo. ‘Cause I wasn’t down there long, if you watch the video…Dusty Rhodes, he was there along with the rest of them. If you read their lips, there’s some funny things being said…I was the one that was the most upset that night; it would have been like about a minimum of a 12-pack drive back to my house. I just got my stuff and when I was finished to head out the door, I pulled up to the Gorilla position, looked at Dusty, looked at Mike Graham, looked at the rest of them, shook my head, and walked out the door. There’s no doing over a live deal. What it is is what it is.”